Sunday, March 25, 2012

Blueberry & Apple Parfait

I love a parfait. There is something about layered desserts. They are even better with different textures. This dessert is exactly that. I've made this dessert a couple of times and it's always a hit. It combines a fruit compote, custard and biscuit and nut topping. Just the right dessert for the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop. This month's theme is "Layer upon Layer". Thanks to Kitchen Crusader for hosting this hop!

1. Place the blackberries and the chopped apples in a medium sized saucepan with sugar and ½ cup of water. Allow to simmer and dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat and cover the saucepan. Leave to simmer for further 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to completely cool.

Custard

2. In a saucepan add 60mls of the milk and put on a medium heat to come to boil. In a heatproof jug add the egg yolks, the remaining milk, vanilla extract, cornflour and little sugar to taste. Whisk this mixture well until it is completely blended and there are no lumps.

3. Once the milk begins to boil, remove the pan from heat immediately. Pour the boiling milk into the egg and flour mixture. Stir thoroughly.

4. In a clean saucepan return the custard to a clean saucepan. Stir well over a low heat until the custard thickens. Return the mixture back into the jug and cover it with baking paper. This will prevent skin from forming. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Topping

5. Place the biscuits and nuts in pestle and mortar or a food processor to break them up. I’m lazy so I went with the electric method. It’s nice to have this mix with varying sizes so no need for it to be completed smooth and fine.

6. Place the nuts and biscuit mix in a small saucepan over low heat. In the saucepan add the ginger, lemon zest and butter. Stir it well to melt the butter and combine all the ingredients. Remove from the heat. Allow it to cool.

7. To serve this dessert, layer the fruit compote evenly in all the glasses. Then top with a layer of custard. Lastly, top it with a layer of the biscuit nut topping. Place the glasses in the fridge for an hour or so to cool down. This will also allow the custard to thicken up.